NORWALK—State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk) today announced that he has appointed former Mayor Alex Knopp of Norwalk to the newly-created Transportation Policy Advisory Council that was created by the General Assembly in 2017 to advise the Connecticut Department of Transportation on improvements to transportation policy, the adoption of the DOT’s five-year capital plan and on select transportation projects.

Under Public Act 17-192, the Council is charged with developing and recommending policies to improve transportation planning; advising the DOT Commissioner on the promotion of economic and housing development, environmental protection and other priorities; and reviewing assessments of specific transportation projects.

“There is no more important issue facing Norwalk’s future economic development than improving transportation mobility on our state and local roads,” said Senator Duff. “I’m appointing Alex to this important new Council because he can apply his experience and policy background on transportation and fiscal issues as a former state, regional and local office holder to help improve our future transportation decisions.”

The Council will have 13 voting members, including two appointed by the Governor and one by each of the six legislative leaders, including Senator Duff. The other voting members are the state treasurer, the secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, and the commissioners of the departments of Economic and Community Development, Energy and Environmental Protection, and Housing. Its first meeting must be held by February 1, 2018. Members are not paid for their service.

“Sen. Duff and his colleagues deserve high grades for establishing this new Council to improve the assessment of the state’s long-range transportation plans and to upgrade the review of major transportation projects,” said Knopp. “I thank him for this appointment because it will give me an opportunity to contribute to progress on some of the most important transportation issues confronting our city and region.”

In addition to his two terms as Norwalk’s mayor, Knopp served on the Transportation Committee during his eight terms in the General Assembly. He has been a Visiting Clinical Lecturer at Yale Law School since 2006 and is a member of the Connecticut Advisory Committee of the Regional Plan Association